Digital processing systems, such as computer systems, often include the capability to allow the appearance of objects, such as windows and window controls, to be controlled by a user of the system. For example, the user of a conventional computer system can set the color of the background or desktop on which windows appear and the user can set the appearance and color of other objects such as icons, tinting of scroll bars and other window controls, and the appearance of text on or in the windows according to the user's preferences. This allows the user to create a custom environment and may make it more pleasurable to use the system.
Many computer systems include preselected “themes” for setting the appearance of desktop objects such as windows and window controls and other objects displayed on the display device of the digital processing system. A “theme” is a preselected combination of several different appearance attributes which are grouped together into one “theme” or style so that a user may select a particular theme and cause all of the various components or objects to be controlled by the theme or style such that these objects have their colors or appearances controlled by the selected “theme.” A theme may include various different appearance attributes such as colors for various different screen objects. For example, a theme may include the colors in menus or menu bars, the tinting or colors of window controls such as scrolling controls and scroll bars, the font of text and the style of the text, a desktop picture or desktop background pattern, the sounds the system makes in response to user action or other sounds, the highlighting color of text when it is selected, and numerous other attributes for various objects which may be displayed on the display device of the digital processing system.
Computer manufacturers have in the past designed certain computers to have certain display appearances. This is accomplished by preparing a particular version of software for the particular machine and storing the software onto a storage device (e.g. a hard disk) of the system so that the system can use this software to generate a desired preselected display appearance. Thus, in each case for each different machine, a computer manufacturer must generate the necessary software for each different machine and load the necessary software on the appropriate machine. If the wrong software is loaded onto the machine, the desired display appearance will not appear on the machine's display device as there is no intelligence built into the machine to provide the software with the necessary information concerning the machine's appearance.